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Why is protein critical in fat loss*

Friday, 27 May 2016, By Matt Firth

What Is Protein?

One of the three macronutrients your body needs to function
properly (along with fats and carbohydrates), proteins are
primarily important for tissue growth and repair, but also
necessary for digestion, metabolism, and the production of
antibodies to fight infection. Comprising 10% of your brain and 20%
of your heart, liver, and skeletal muscles, protein is obviously
key to maintaining a strong, healthy body. What you may not
realize, however, is how important it is for a healthy mind.

When you digest protein, it's broken down into its component
amino acids, which are then reassembled into 50,000 different forms
your body can use for things like hormones, enzymes, and
neurotransmitters. Not only do these amino acids form the building
blocks of your brain's neural network and have significant impact
on your mood and brain function. Specifically, the protein
neurexin, is responsible for directing new nerve cells to their
correct locations in the brain where they form their initial
connections.

Complete vs Incomplete Protein Sources

Your body needs 22 different types of amino acids to function
properly. Adults can produce 13 of those within the body (known as
non-essential amino acids), but the other 9 must be obtained from
food (known as essential amino acids). It's these essential amino
acids that derive the classification of protein as either
complete or incomplete. It's
critical that we understand the difference between the 2.

Complete proteins are those that contain all
essential amino acids in sufficient quantity - these are typically
animal-based proteins, but a few plant sources are also considered
complete. A few examples are (* plant based)

Meat

Fish

Dairy products (milk, yogurt, whey)

Eggs

Hemp and chia seed* per 100 g, Protein 20 g

Spirulina* per 100 g, Protein 57 g

Incomplete Protein Sources

Incomplete proteins are those that don't
contain all 9 essential amino acids, or don't have sufficient
quantities of them to meet the body's needs, and must be
supplemented with other proteins. These include:

Nuts & seeds

Legumes

Grains

Vegetables

Just because they are incomplete doesn't make them inferior,
though, they just need to be combined to provide the right balance
of essential aminos. Proteins that, in combination, make a complete
amino acid profile are known as complementary
proteins. Here are a few tasty examples:

Rice and beans

Spinach salad with almonds

Hummus and whole-grain pitas

Complementary proteins don't necessarily need to be eaten
together, but since your body doesn't store amino acids for later
use in protein combining, they should be eaten throughout a day's
meals.

So How Exactly Should You Eat Your Protein
Sourcesand when?

As with so many things, the key to protein is balance. It is a
vital and often-misunderstood part of our diets, but we need to
remember that the quality and type of protein can be as important
as how much we consume. Making sure you have a good combination of
high-quality proteins in your diet is a good step towards a healthy
body and mind.

It is critical that protein is eaten throughout the day in small
meals at least 5-6 times per day. Being small amounts and combining
all of the above makes eating protein a lot easier and possible to
meet your daily macro nutrient requirements.

Supplements

Whey protein

Whey protein is one of the two major
groups of proteins found in milk. Only 20 percent of milk's protein
is whey. The rest is casein, which is the protein that triggers
most milk allergies. This is why whey protein would be a way for
people with allergies to get dairy protein into their diets. Whey
protein essentially helps your cells to grow, replace and repair
themselves. The body naturally produces proteins on its own,
however, other amino acids must come from dairy protein. Whey
protein provides all nine amino acids and is easy to digest. Most
whey protein is low-fat or fat-free, and the amount of protein you
need varies based on body type and nutritional needs.

Pea protein

Pea protein is a natural plant-based protein that is
derived from yellow peas, also known as split peas. This protein is
highly soluble and easy to digest. This is a perfect protein for
vegetarians and vegans who can't get their protein from animal
products. It has the ability to supply the nine essential amino
acids that cannot be naturally produced by the human body.